Liverpool chairman expresses regret over furlough decision

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Liverpool chairman Tom Werner accepts the club made a mistake when they announced plans to use the government’s furlough scheme.

The Premier League leaders faced huge criticism in early April when owners Fenway Sports Group revealed they planned to take advantage of the coronavirus job retention scheme, which would see the United Kingdom government cover 80 per cent of wages up to £2,500 per month.

There was a backlash from fans and former players given the club had announced pre-tax profits of £42million just six weeks earlier, leading them to reverse their decision and issue an apology through chief executive Peter Moore.

Premier League matches are not expected to resume until some time in June and will have to be held behind closed doors.

Similarly, plans for a victory parade should Liverpool end their 30-year wait to win the top-flight title have been ruined by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Werner still hopes to be able to celebrate such a triumph with fans when it is safe to do so, having been inspired by the scenes after last season’s Champions League success.

“The 4-0 win over Barcelona [in the semi-final second leg] was the single greatest sporting event I’ve ever seen,” he said. “The reaction our supporters had in the stadium that day and around the world is something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

“I thought I could never imagine experiencing anything like [the parade]. Then somebody said, ‘Well if we win the Premier League, this parade will be dwarfed’. I’m looking forward to a parade when we can all congregate again.”